


Lingua

by Matrya



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Season Six
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-08
Updated: 2012-08-08
Packaged: 2017-11-11 17:06:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/480854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matrya/pseuds/Matrya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dawn knows language, words which coat the tongue like honey and burn the throat as whisky.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lingua

Copulate  
From the Latin "copulare" (pp _copulatus_ ). Attested sexual meaning during the mid-to-late fifteenth century. In Modern English, verb; intransitive: to have sexual intercourse

She can hear the squeak of the bedsprings and the slight sound of the headboard hitting the wall.

Some nights, she thinks about it and in the morning, she pretends that Buffy is her mom and Xander is her dad, they love each other and always have. She has been on Earth all of her almost-sixteen years, does not know the plural of apocalypse (from the Greek _apokaluptein_ "to uncover") and that she never lost anyone she loves.

Other mornings, she comments that Xander got in really early and pretends she does not realise and cannot smell her shampoo in his hair as he hugs her.

 

Slay  
From the Old English "to smite/to kill with a weapon" ( _slean_ ; _sloh_ , _slog_ , _slagen_ ). Modern German ( _schlagen_ ) retains original intent ("to strike"). In Modern English, verb; transitive: to violently kill; murder

Buffy takes her on patrol from eight to ten every night. They make a round at Restfield and Shady Hills before Xander picks her up at the gates, takes her home and goes back out. From ten to midnight, she finishes whatever language (from the Old French _langage_ based on Latin _lingua_ "tongue") lesson Giles has sent her.

In the mornings, they train in the back yard and the basement. Buffy teaches her how to use every weapon in the cabinets and trunks through-out their house.

She will never be helpless again. After all, she is of her sister's blood. She plans to prove it.

 

Key  
From the Old English "cæg" of an origin unknown. Allegorical ("to open or explain/that which holds other parts together") from Old English dates to early-to-mid sixteenth century. In Modern English, noun: affords to means of/controls access/clarification; adjective: of crucial importance

She has thoughts and aspirations, but mostly she has dreams (in this case, probably from and unknown Germanic source) that claw at her like nightmares. Where glowing green once encroached her visions, vein-y black now takes precedence.

She wakes up most nights to the steady _thump thump thump_ of her family; Buffy and Xander as an autistic allegory for actual parents.

She drinks from the glass by her bed, looks out the window and turns on her stereo to drown out the noise.

 

Evil  
From the Old English "yfel". Originally "the most comprehensive adjectival expression of disapproval, dislike of disparagement" (OED). Attested meaning of wickedness in eighteenth century. In Modern English, noun: extremely wicked and immoral

She understands Spike's predicative want to be evil. There's the throne, up high, and then the stupendous fall from that height to yet the lowly ranks of the simple beings. Overnight, he went from _being_ to being.

She does not understand basic demonic-level evil-doings.

Janice calls her Aurora (from the Latin of the same, after the Roman goddess of dawn) and informs her that the light she brings could make any evil cower.

So, this summer, she finds out she is not even a little bit gay.

 

Heroine (Hero)  
From the Latin "heros" from the Greek of the same (Gk _heros_ meaning "demi-god" (variant singular _heroe_ )) from Proto-Indo-European "to protect"). Feminine form "heroine" first attested mid seventeenth century from Latin "heroina" from Greek "heroine". In Modern English, noun: a woman admired for her courage or outstanding acheivements; a woman of superhuman qualities

She finds out on her first day at Sunnydale High, the first day of her sophomore year, that there's a trophy case with no trophies (from the French _trophée_ , via Latin from Greek _tropaion_ , from _tropē_ 'a rout').

On the top shelf of the case, between a photo of the team that won Homecoming in ninety-eight and a burnt copy of the ninety-nine senior yearbook, is a photograph of Buffy holding her Class Protector award. Set in a frame with the inscription, "Buffy Summers, Class Protector 1998-1999".

She puts her fingers to the glass, nowhere close to touching it, and smiles.

She's learnt more in one summer than Buffy did in years. Surely she can avert a few more apocalypses.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Memo:** I don't check comments or kudos, but feel free to yell at me on [tumblr](http://matrya.tumblr.com) or [check out](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Matrya) my other writing!


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